Lots of us tried this a few years back - and it was really good. it was those darn cookies that created a stir - where to get them - lol. Butternut Squash Lasagna Recipe courtesy Giada De Laurentiis Posted by LoriJean Recipe Summary Difficulty: Medium Prep Time: 30 minutes Inactive Prep Time: 15 minutes Cook Time: 1 hour 25 minutes Yield: 8 to 10 servings User Rating: Cook's Note: The no-boil lasagna noodles can be substituted with fresh spinach lasagna sheets. Look for fresh lasagna sheets in the refrigerated section of specialty markets. 1 tablespoon olive oil 1 (1 1/2 to 2-pound) butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cut into 1-inch cubes Salt and freshly ground black pepper 1/2 cup water 3 amaretti cookies, crumbled 1/4 cup butter 1/4 cup all-purpose flour 3 1/2 cups whole milk Pinch nutmeg 3/4 cup (lightly packed) fresh basil leaves 12 no-boil lasagna noodles 2 1/2 cups shredded whole-milk mozzarella cheese 1/3 cup grated Parmesan Heat the oil in a heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the squash and toss to coat. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Pour the water into the skillet and then cover and simmer over medium heat until the squash is tender, stirring occasionally, about 20 minutes. Cool slightly and then transfer the squash to a food processor. Add the amaretti cookies and blend until smooth. Season the squash puree, to taste, with more salt and pepper. Melt the butter in a heavy medium-size saucepan over medium heat. Add the flour and whisk for 1 minute. Gradually whisk in the milk. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer until the sauce thickens slightly, whisking often, about 5 minutes. Whisk in the nutmeg. Cool slightly. Transfer half of the sauce to a blender*. Add the basil and blend until smooth. Return the basil sauce to the sauce in the pan and stir to blend. Season the sauce with salt and pepper, to taste. Position the rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 375 degrees F. Lightly butter a 13 by 9 by 2-inch glass baking dish. Spread 3/4 cup of the sauce over the prepared baking dish. Arrange 3 lasagna noodles on the bottom of the pan. Spread 1/3 of the squash puree over the noodles. Sprinkle with 1/2 cup of mozzarella cheese. Drizzle 1/2 cup of sauce over the noodles. Repeat layering 3 more times. Tightly cover the baking dish with foil and bake the lasagna for 40 minutes. Sprinkle the remaining mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses over the lasagna. Continue baking uncovered until the sauce bubbles and the top is golden, 15 minutes longer. Let the lasagna stand for 15 minutes before serving. *When blending hot liquids: Remove liquid from the heat and allow to cool for at least 5 minutes. Transfer liquid to a blender or food processor and fill it no more than halfway. If using a blender, release one corner of the lid. This prevents the vacuum effect that creates heat explosions. Place a towel over the top of the machine, pulse a few times then process on high speed until smooth.

Funny that as a kid, I hated sweet potato anything, but I love them now. My favorite I call "Sweet Fries".....a happy "accident": I was baking sweet potato fries as usual one time and got busy outside and forgot about them. They cooked for over an hour longer than I normally would have. Thank goodness they were on air-bake cookie sheets. They were great. Made them again a month later and they were back to "meh" when I remembered that the difference between then and the previous time was the extra hour in the oven. So, I got to experimenting....... I now cut them to about 3/4-1" thick "fries" (unpeeled). I toss with a sprinkle of Tony Chachere's creole seasoning and cinnamon then drizzle with olive oil. Place in single layer on well-oiled AIRBAKE pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes then I take out of the oven and turn over each fry (they're "done" at this point but they're nothing special). Back into the oven for about 45 minutes longer. Then I turn on the broiler and broil until they start "burning" (turning dark). At this point, they should be gooey on the inside and a bit crunchy around the edges. Tastes like candy. In my electric oven, I crack open the door, and they broil on high for about 15-20 minutes. We have these as a "treat"--like popcorn. For the 2 of us, I use 4 large sweet potatoes (there's usually leftovers because it's SO filling) on 2 airbake pans. Hubby is always asking for Sweet Fries, but I only do it when I don't mind the oven being on for so long. It's not something we have in the summer! Also, he has to request these long before we actually want to eat them because of the time involved. And, they're great leftover. One of my favorite things to eat! Good thing they're chock full of nutrients, so it's a sweet treat I don't have to feel guilty about. Tracey

Congratulations on the weight loss, Rob! My whole family is with your Mom on the devilled eggs, they want them at every holiday and some dinners in between. Thank goodness I have chickens, and lots of eggs. We also make egg salad regularly, as far as I can see, it's about the same thing. My daughters love that marshmallow topped sweet potato casserole. Me? Not so much, I have a recipe for twice baked sweet potatoes that take Italian Sausage, but it's not healthy. At all. So I bake a bunch, leave some plain for me and Elery and anyone who wants them and make the rest into that casserole. I'm not allowed to change certain components of the Thanksgiving Dinner or there will be mutiny. The problem I have is that everyone wants their favorites, and I want to try something new and it's just too much. I have managed to sway some over to my way of thinking, Dave actually likes pimento cheese better than the ever present cream cheese/dried beef thing, so I'm making progess. I think. I did completely revolt last year and announce that I would never, never, EVER be making green bean casserole again. Amanda can't have the CofM soup because of the gluten, or the onion topping. Dave can eat it at his Mother's, Ashley can eat it at her in-laws, or they can make their own, but I'm making something else. So there. Happy Thanksgiving. Annie

plllog, I also love sweet potatoes just roasted with butter, s&p. My family loves this particular sweet potato dish. Easy to cut back or omit the brown sugar. I know some people might also want to omit the nutmeg. (LOL, sorry if this is another URP!) Sweet Potato Casserole With Walnuts Can be made up to 2 days in advance. Keep covered and chilled; bring to room temp for baking. 5 cups baked, mashed sweet potatoes 8 oz. cream cheese, softened 1/2 cup butter, softened 2 eggs, beaten 1/4 cup (packed) brown sugar 2 1/2 T. dry sherry 1/2 tsp. salt, or to taste Optional: 3/4 cup walnuts or pecans, chopped 1/2 tsp. nutmeg (preferably freshly grated Preheat oven to 350. With electric mixer (not food processor) whip all ingredients, except walnuts and nutmeg, until light. Stir in walnuts and put in buttered casserole. Spread evenly and grate fresh nutmeg over the top. Bake for 45 minutes (depending on pan size). Note: I usually mix in the nutmeg instead of sprinkling on top. Instead of mixing the nuts in, you can top the casserole with them...candied nuts are another option for on top. ETA - I use an oval baking dish for this...11x8x3.